Mitch Trubisky embracing rookie growth curve: 'It's what I was born to do'

At the end of Tuesday's practice at Halas Hall, Mitch Trubisky bounded off the field with the same demeanor he had on draft weekend in April. His eagerness was obvious.

The rookie quarterback was asked how he was feeling these days, all of 22 with the hopes of a franchise and a success-starved city on his shoulders. Trubisky grinned.

"I love that," he said. "I've come to a place that's crazy about football, crazy about the NFL and takes a lot of pride in the city. That's who I am as a person. I feel like I fit in great. … It's an exciting time. I'm very blessed to be in the situation I'm in. Now it's my job to go to work and do whatever I can for the team."

Right now that means immersing himself in a new offense, studying and digesting the nuances of every formation and every play. And in the month since Trubisky first took the field for rookie minicamp, he has already felt growth. He's pushing himself to take more command of the offense, to understand not only his own responsibilities but the duties of his 10 teammates.

"I've put in more work on this playbook than I've put into anything in my life," he said.

Growing pains are inevitable. Trubisky acknowledged Tuesday that he's working to become sharper with the pre-snap operation and needs to improve in getting protections set properly.

Asked whether he has had any eye-opening realizations during his first six weeks as an NFL quarterback, Trubisky marveled at the workload he has had to take on.

"It wasn't really a surprise," he said, "but I would just say it's the realization of how much time you actually have to put in to be an NFL quarterback or an NFL player in general. It's taking care of your body, studying all day and all night right before you go to bed. It's all about blocking out distractions and (determining) how good you want to be."

Trubisky said he feels plenty comfortable operating from under center after spending the bulk of his college career working out of the shotgun. Overall, though, he is aiming to become more polished with his footwork, changing habits he had at North Carolina to better fit the demands of this system and this Bears coaching staff.

Mechanically, though, he hasn't altered his throwing motion.

"My throwing motion is what it is," Trubisky said. "I've got a quick release and I can throw the ball accurately as long as I bring my feet with me. So that's what Coach says: focus on the footwork, bring your feet with you, get through your progression and use your eyes well. So as long as my shoulders are level and I pull through with my hips, the ball should go where it's supposed to go."

With Mark Sanchez out until at least July with a left knee injury, Trubisky acknowledged that he's now taking his reps with the second-unit offense. Mike Glennon remains the Bears' undisputed starter. Which leaves Trubisky to focus on his incremental improvement, a task he's eagerly tackling.

"It's football," he said. "It's what I was born to do."

He's back: Outside linebacker Willie Young returned to the practice field Tuesday. He had been absent from the OTAs that were open to the media the previous two weeks.

Young is working back from offseason knee surgery and remains bullish on second-year outside linebacker Leonard Floyd. Young praised Floyd for his speed and tenacity and vowed to keep pushing is young teammate.

"He just has to continue to want to learn," Young said. "He has to continue to want to get better at his craft and continue to take ownership in everything that he does."